Abstract
The chapter discusses comparative results across regions regarding the application of the method for quantifying and qualifying the endowment of social capital and rural governance in Local Action Groups of the EU LEADER initiative. Results show that the Putnamian tradition alone does not suffice to capture some distinctive features of local social capital. It should be complemented by the Bourdieusian tradition which stresses the role of social networks in conjunction with the broader social and political context and thus sheds light on the multi-dimensional and contextual aspects of social capital and rural governance.
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Notes
- 1.
A simple Pearson’s correlation coefficient reveals a positive, rather weak, correlation: the coefficient is approximately 0.3 between the two forms of social capital, and around 0.6 between each form of social capital and governance. Only for the variables normative-cognitive social capital and governance is the coefficient statistically significant at the 5% level and equal to 0.68.
- 2.
Banfield (1958) argues that the low levels of trust and development in Southern Italy are a result of the dominance of bonding social capital in the form of stronger family relations over bridging ties created across diverse groups. He calls this phenomenon “amoral familism”, a term that has often been cited in the literature and used in other contexts where family bonds crowd out motivations and opportunities for broader participation in the community and in the public sphere.
- 3.
Some of these studies include Leonardi (1995), Sabatini (2005) and Crescenzi et al. (2013). It is worth noting that in some cases they question the deterministic North-South divide hypothesis that appears in Putnam’s work. For instance, by using concepts of bonding and bridging social capital and data of participation in the family and in social organisations they evidence that the situation in the North may not be as bright.
- 4.
Data was derived from EUROSTAT regional data (http://ec.europa.eu/eurostat). All socio-economic indicators in this passage have been calculated at the regional – NUTS 2 – level. According to EUROSTAT, GDP or gross domestic product is an indicator of the output of a country or a region. It reflects the total value of all goods and services produced less the value of goods and services used for intermediate consumption in their production. Expressing GDP in purchasing power standards (PPS) eliminates differences in price levels between countries. Calculations on per capita or per inhabitant basis allow for the comparison of economies and regions significantly different in absolute size. GDP per capita in PPS is also the key variable for determining the eligibility of NUTS 2 regions in the framework of the EU Structural Policy. The regional unemployment rate represents unemployed persons as a percentage of the economically active population (i.e., labour force or sum of employed and unemployed). The indicator is based on the EU Labour Force Survey. Unemployed persons comprise persons aged 15–74 who were (all three conditions must be fulfilled simultaneously): (1) without work during the reference week, (2) currently available for work and (3) actively seeking work or who had found a job to start within a period of at most 3 months. Youth unemployment includes unemployed persons aged 15–24 and is a central topic in EU Employment Policy and Cohesion Policy.
- 5.
LAG directors mentioned most of the economic and social benefits described above, but did not make explicit references to governance.
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Christoforou, A., Pisani, E., Burlando, C. (2017). Regional Comparisons: A Discussion on Social Capital and Local Development. In: Pisani, E., Franceschetti, G., Secco, L., Christoforou, A. (eds) Social Capital and Local Development. Palgrave Macmillan, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-54277-5_12
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